An official first look photo for Clerks III reveals the employees of Quick Stop Groceries in their work uniforms. Written and directed by Smith, the movie has been rolling around in development hell for years after many failed attempts to get production started. Lionsgate recently picked up the sequel and filming is currently underway in New Jersey, making it now official that we'll see the Quick Stop clerks back on the clock on the big screen.

A new Kevin Smith interview with Vanity Fair also includes the first look photo, showing us how the characters will appear in the actual movie. The upcoming sequel will bring back original stars Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson as Dante Hicks and Randal Graves, respectively, with the former likely not even supposed to be there that day. Also returning from Clerks II is Trevor Fehrman as Elias, the formerly-teenage employee who worked with Dante and Randal at Mooby's, who now works at Quick Stop, along with Rosario Dawson as Dante's wife Becky.

"The film is predicated on the idea that Randal survives a heart attack, a massive heart attack, quite like I did, and then winds up, you know, deciding that he's wasted his life," Smith says of the Clerks III plot, explaining how the idea comes from art imitating life. "But before he dies he wants to memorialize himself. He wants to make a movie. So our boys essentially wind up making Clerks."

Of particularly looking to please the longtime View Askew fans, Smith adds: "I know we've got fans who age with us...and it's going to hit in a lot of personal places. I don't think the 20-somethings are going to be like, 'He's still the voice of a generation!' They're going to be like, 'Well, he's the voice of middle age, if anything, at this point.' I hope young people will find something to enjoy about it, but it's definitely a movie about people who try to be young while being old."

"I wish this was Clerks 19," the filmmaker goes on to state, noting how Dante and Randal have been used very sparingly compared to how much Jay and Silent Bob have gotten around. "I wish I'd been doing this the whole fucking time, man. These characters are so close to my heart, and finally letting them take the journey that they sent me on is a big deal for me. Without Dante and Randal, I'm not where I am."

Of course, Jay Mewes will return for Clerks III alongside Smith as Silent Bob. Marilyn Ghigliotti, one of the stars of the original Clerks, also returns as Dante's ex-girlfriend Veronica. We can expect for many other characters from the first two Clerks movies to make special appearances, given Smith's penchant for including these kinds of surprises in previous movies, so there should be tons of excellent things to notice for longtime fans.

An official premiere date hasn't yet been announced by Lionsgate for Clerks III. On social media, Smith has been keeping fans updated on the movie's progress, so hopefully some information on a release will be soon forthcoming. This news comes to us from Vanity Fair.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/08/clerks-3-first-look